The Devil's Sky
by Lalaith Quetzalli
Summary: If there's something Matt's learned in the last year, it's that it's alright to need help, and to ask for it. It's a lesson Elektra hasn't learned just yet, but that won't stop him from going when he knows she needs it, needs him… and his team. Because Elektra is alive, and she's saving lives! Deep down, Matt still has hope. (W/references to the Defenders and the 05 Elektra movie)


So... I'm dipping my toes in the Daredevil (Netflix/MCU) fandom now. The closest I'd gotten to it before that were tangential mentions of Matt Murdock in my Nightingale series, but I finally watched the series recently (not every single episode, but still). There were some things I liked, some things I didn't. Depending on my mood I ship different pairings, but for this one we're going the MattElektra route.

I was a huge fan of the Elektra movie back in 2005, just like I was of the Daredevil movie before that one. In fact, that's one of the reasons why I didn't watch the Netflix series for so long, I liked the movies and the series seemed too different. As it happens, I do like the show, a lot. This Elektra is so different... better in some ways, worse in others. I think in the end it depends on perception. We can choose whether we can to see Elektra as a bloodthirsty sociopath who cares for no one but herself, who only 'loves' Matt, because of what he does for her; or we can see Elektra as a woman who has dark impulses she has trouble controlling, who wants to be better and doesn't always know how, who does her best to love Matt, and goes as far as dying for him (for this fic, I chose the latter).

I was on a MattElektra binge on youtube and vids with the movie's version of them kept popping up. Then my muse began whispering in my ear, wondering how the plot from the 05 movie might have gone with the Netflix-Elektra. It's not hard to picture that Elektra as an assassin, and I'm not the only one to picture her surviving Midland Circle. But then the troubles began popping up: first, Stick and the Chaste are gone, so who could have possibly aided her? Then, if Elektra was revived by the Hand and not Stick (and I'd rather it weren't that easy, bringing people back, a relic has more limits than anyone being able to learn a technique), that means that it wouldn't be as easy to revive those affected by Typhoid Mary. And as my mind worked through those kinks I realized I was effectively writing a fic in my head, so I went ahead and typed it up.

You don't actually need to have watched the Jennifer Garner movie to understand what's going on, I don't think. Though I will summarize it, and the changes I made, in the End Notes if anyone wants more details than the ones I give in the actual story.

Also, there are very vague allusions to the events of the latest seasons of Iron Fist, Jessica Jones and Daredevil in the fic itself, as the story is meant to take place at some point after those. You don't need to have watched those either, but I just couldn't help myself. Most things are kept the same, except for Jessica Jones (I really, really needed to change that even if it was in an almost backhanded way!); and the thing with the Iron Fist is mostly assumption and wishful thinking on my part.

Hope you'll enjoy the fic, insane as it is!

* * *

The Devil's Sky

_By: Lalaith Quetzalli _

_If there's something Matt's learned in the last year, it's that it's alright to need help, and to ask for it. It's a lesson Elektra hasn't learned just yet, but that won't stop him from going when he knows she needs it, needs him… and his team. Because Elektra is alive, and she's saving lives! Deep down, Matt still has hope. _

If Matt's honest (and he tries to be at least with himself), it took him completely by surprise when Danny brought the information in: the Hand was on the move again, and this time they were going after a young girl they referred to as 'the Treasure' and her father. Though he knows that's a Chaste-term; it's what Elektra told him they used to call her, what Stick always complained Matt could have been, if only he weren't so 'soft'… The most shocking part though: their only protection is none other than Elektra… that was probably about when Matt clocked out.

It shocked him. It's not… Danny's not a bad man, not at all (so cherry, positive, even a tad naive at times), but he doesn't like Elektra. None of the Defenders do, actually. And Colleen herself admitted that when they first heard of the Hand moving, they only heard of Elektra being a target. It was until shortly before they all met that a contact in Japan called Danny and they found out about the Millers. Which means that Danny and Colleen decided they ought to help even when they thought Elektra was the only target.

It's not that Matt doesn't believe them capable of much good, of helping even people they might not like. And Matt also understands that they just don't know Elektra… they got to know the Black Sky, the bloodthirsty assassin, the Hand's weapon; not Elektra Natchios, the debutante, the warrior, the woman who loved him so much she gave her life for his… who, even at her worst, even when being manipulated (either by Stick, or the Hand) could never hurt Matt. She had so many chances to kill him, and she never did. He's quite sure that he owes her his life several times over. When that building fell on them… it should have been impossible for anyone to survive. Yet he did… he wasn't in the best place, when he woke up. In between all his injuries, his senses going haywire, and no one giving him a clear answer as to how exactly he ended in the convent, or about her… he never gave up hope, deep down and yet… at times he wasn't sure which one would be worse: her having died or her being alive and having abandoned him… again? So no, he wasn't in the best of places following the mess with the Midland Circle, and the absolute disaster that was Fisk getting out of jail months later did not make things any better. Matt knows that if it hadn't been because surrender meant not just him but his loved ones dying he would have just given up he'd been so tired…

But he fought, he won, and he managed not to become a murderer in the process. And he even managed to get a second chance with both Foggy and Karen! Things were a bit touch and go for the first few months, especially when they both learned how exactly Matt managed to survive after ruining his own reputation the first time around. The fact that Matt was quite rich nowadays, because Elektra had bequeathed him almost everything upon her death. And surprisingly enough, no one tried to contest it even after her return (revival? Resurrection?). Which essentially meant Matt owned the building that holds his apartment, and their office nowadays, along with several other properties in at least half a dozen countries; and a heck of a lot of money (most of it in shares in several companies including RE, SI, OsCorp and a few others).

In any case, the Defenders do not know Elektra, not like Matt knows her, and yet they still were ready to go in her aid the moment they learned the Hand was after her (and the Millers), and they did it, not in small part, because of Matt. Because he is part of their team, of their little patchwork family, both as Daredevil and as Matt Murdock (the vigilante lawyers, some have taken to calling him and Foggy on the down-low; and the criminals know better than to take it out of them, as the one time they tried… Jessica didn't pull her punches much).

It wasn't easy for him. Learning to be part of a team, to trust them to have his back, not just in the battlefield, but also outside it, in the real world. But he learned, and nowadays he's so glad to have people like them: like Jessica, Trish, Luke, Claire, Danny and Colleen. And to have Foggy and Karen again… after he thought they were done for good. He can only hope that one day Elektra might allow herself to learn to trust, just like he did.

**xXx**

They barely get there in time. And even then, it's already much too late for the man in the country-house, a friend of Elektra's apparently. Following the sounds of battle, they end up in the middle of a forest, Elektra's down for the count, the girl (Abby) is shaking with fear, her fingers barely steady enough to keep hold of her weapon; her father's not much better, and the moment Daredevil realizes he cannot hear Elektra's heartbeat, or breathing… he almost snaps.

Thankfully, the others take charge when realizing he's not at his best. Either Jessica or Colleen staying right beside him until Elektra's heart is beating again, and then it's like he can breathe again as well. At Danny's insistence, they end up in his penthouse, as it has better security than any of their homes. Then Claire makes sure the Millers are as healthy as they can be, while Danny explains to them who they all are. Apparently the man chose to take his daughter and take off after the death of his wife; when realizing the Chaste wouldn't do anything about it, that there would be no justice…

It was extremely lucky that when the Hand chose to arrange for a hit on the Millers, Elektra was the one contracted. According to Jessica's research, she's been working as an assassin for a while, ever since the Midland Circle, in fact; but she always goes after bad people. Corrupt politicians, evil mercenaries, criminals with either too much money, connections or power to be prosecuted, men and women who believe the law's not meant for them. It's not what Matt would have chosen, but ever since Fisk he's come to appreciate that some people cannot be easily stopped, not even by prison; and while he still cannot imagine himself ever taking a life, he will not look down upon those who do, when their reasons are the right ones.

He falls asleep at some point in the wing-backed chair Jessica dragged into the guest-room where they laid Elektra to rest, after a rant about how illogical it is for him to stand in the corner like a freaking gargoyle and since he's not going to go to sleep even-though Colleen very helpfully prepared a room all for him… and he's not even surprised when Abby wakes him up several hours later with the news that Elektra's gone.

"Where could she have gone?" Abby asks, gnawing at her lip anxiously.

She's so afraid, yet doing her best to hide it, and Matt cannot help but be reminded of himself as a young teen, trying and failing to meet Stick's expectations… he knows the old man trained Abby too. And while the Millers might have split from the Chaste on their own will, unlike Matt himself, who was left behind, that's still probably the only reason they're still alive when the rest of the Chaste are not. In any case, Abby is so young, no more than sixteen, Matt is sure, yet she's trying so hard to be brave.

"She must have gone to confront the Hand." Matt murmurs as he gets on his feet.

"On her own?!" Abby is clearly shocked. "But I thought… all of you…"

"Elektra's never been the best at accepting help, much less asking for it." Matt admits with a sigh as he begins pulling on the pieces of his armor the others convinced him to strip off earlier. "I was hoping… it doesn't matter."

It's until he turns back to her, all but the mask in place, and then steps closer to the open window, right in the path of the streetlamps outside, that Abby realizes something.

"You're blind…" She exhales.

"I am." Matt nods calmly. "So was Stick."

"Yeah, I just…" Abby shakes her head, then tilts it to one side. "I always knew Stick wasn't normal. He didn't look or act normal, ever. You do."

"Well, there's a reason he left me." Matt shrugs. "I was never able to be what he wanted. Always too soft for him, and too strong-willed for the Chaste. I may have their training, but I'm not a soldier, I'm still myself."

That abandonment, added to the one from his mom before he ever truly knew her, and the loss of his father, it always weighed on him. 'Everyone leaves' was a phrase always in the back of his mind, which only seemed to be confirmed when Elektra left him in that mansion after the mess with Sweeney… and yet she came back. And with Foggy and Karen… then left him, yes, but then they too came back. Those three, they're the people he holds dearest, and regardless of how many times he's let them down, all the ways he's failed them, they've always come back… Matt wouldn't be the man he is today without them.

"And the Devil of Hell's Kitchen." Abby added for good measure.

"I am that, yes. But that's not all I am." He's finally comfortable in his own skin, at peace with all the pieces of him. "I'm also a lawyer. Because regardless of any training I might have, or what I might do sometimes at night to keep my people safe, I do still believe in the law." He makes a pause right there, in the middle of the hallway, turning to face Abby. "You still can be whatever and whoever you wish to be Abby. This 'treasure' thing, need not define you. It's your life, and you get to choose what you do with it."

"Ok…" She doesn't sound like she believes him much at first, but after a long, silent stare-down (and Abby's not sure how that's even a thing when the guy cannot even see!), she takes a deep breath and nods, sounding more confident as she repeats: "Okay."

"Now come on, Elektra needs us." Matt declares as he pulls on his mask.

"So… you're not gonna tell me to go to sleep, leave things to the 'adults'…" Abby is actually surprised by that.

"Would you listen to me if I tried?" Matt arches a brow, even though she cannot see it.

"No." Abby answers in a 'duh' tone.

"Neither would have I at your age." Matt admits easily enough. "This is your life we're all fighting for, you have a right to be involved. And it'll be safer for both you and me, and Elektra once we get to her, if we stick together." He smiles at her. "Now go, get whatever it is you need, we need to get going."

He waits until Abby's disappeared down another hall to turn to the figure in the shadows.

"I hope you won't try to stop us." He murmurs quietly.

"This is your fight, I get that." Jessica says as she steps out of the shadows. "But if we haven't heard from you in one hour…"

She does get it, some fights being personal, but she also knows that sometimes… sometimes there's a difference between what you want and what you need. Like the time when Jessica wanted to handle the mess with Trish on her own… yet she knows that if Matt hadn't intervened when he did (as Matt, not as the devil) there's a chance Trish would have gone too far before Jess managed to reach her. He owes her happiness, and the sanity of the person nearest to him, to Matt one day deciding that he'd given her enough time and it was time to step in. So she will give those two a bit of a head-start, but she… they, won't be leaving them alone for long.

"Got it." Matt salutes her mockingly.

He reacts promptly to her tossing a set of keys to him. They're from a bike, Luke's bike, to be more precise.

"You better bring it back in one piece." She points out, making it quite obvious she didn't ask permission to take it.

Matt rolls his eyes, but nods. A bike will be better than a car, even so late at night.

"Do you even know where it is you're going?" Jessica asks. "I doubt your girlfriend left you a note with instructions."

"This thing with Kirigi… it's personal, and not just because of Abby." Matt informs her quietly. "There's one place where Elektra would go to have a fight with the Hand where she can go all out, and still keep civilians and police alike out of it."

"And where is this incredible place?" Jessica asks sarcastically.

"Her family estate in Long Island." Matt answers.

Jessica doesn't even get a chance to comment on that. As right then Abby is back, Matt tosses the keys at her (it's not like he could drive the bike himself) and then they're gone. Leaving Jessica standing in the hallway, trying to wrap her head around that last piece of information. Really, she knew that Natchios was rich (had heard how she made Matt rich too), but a freaking estate?! At least the devil seems to know what he's doing… or so she hopes. In any case, she better start waking up the others if they're going to be ready to go in an hour.

**xXx**

They reach the estate right as there's an explosion on the second floor. Matt barely manages to cover Abby's mouth before she screams Elektra's name.

"Don't scream, please, I need my hearing." He whispers. "Come on, we need to get inside."

It has been so long… yet Matt can still remember his way into the house, and through it. When they get close enough he can hear Elektra's heart. It's fast, the adrenaline coursing through her veins as she fights.

They finally find Elektra in the living room, a sword at her neck and Kirigi holding that blade and so eager to cut her head off. They won't allow it. At a nod from Matt Abby tightens her hold on her beads and steps into the room, counting off the seconds in her head for him to get into position before making herself known:

"Let her go!" She calls loudly to Kirigi.

Elektra's eyes widen and Abby realizes the woman must be terrified to allow herself to show even that sliver of emotion on her face. She vaguely hears Kirigi say something about her, probably a compliment… not like she'll ever take a compliment from the bastard but still. The teenager says not a word, instead she marches into the room, twirling her beads, slashing at the flying white sheets. She's making a show of herself, but that's exactly the point. She's the distraction after all…

One moment Elektra's about to throw herself at Kirigi to try and keep him away from Abby, the next, she's smiling as she twirls her sais and takes a stance. Kirigi barely manages to jump to a side right before Daredevil lands exactly where he was standing; in the next instant he's dodging Elektra's attempt at sweeping his feet, yet isn't quite fast enough to avoid the Abby's beads, a cut opening just underneath his right eye.

The three fight well together, not too surprising considering they were all been trained by the same man. In the end Kirigi chooses to be a coward rather than face the trio and takes off to where his minions are waiting, though not without first throwing the candle stick on a bunch of the torn sheets, starting a fire.

"Great, now what?" Abby asks with a pained grunt as she pushes herself to her feet from where Kirigi knocked her down before fleeing.

"Run!" Daredevil cries out a moment later.

Abby doesn't even get the chance to ask what the hell's going on as Elektra pulls her to her feet and to the stairs, Daredevil on their heels.

"What the hell's going on?!" She demands even as she does her best to keep up.

"Keep running!" Elektra spits as she takes hold of the first thing she can reach and throws it at the window ahead of them to break it.

"The place's about to blow!" Is all Daredevil says.

A moment later the three of them are jumping through what was a window and onto a terrace a floor bellow, just in time to avoid the flames that consume most of the inside of the house.

"I'm sorry…" Matt whispers very quietly, wanting only Elektra to hear. "About the place."

She knows she always loved the place, not for any monetary reasons, because it was home, it was her dad's place… even if the man hadn't been her birth father, he'd loved her. Whatever his reasons might have been for taking her in at first, he came to love her, and she loved him. He was her father… she certainly made sure to make every single person in any way connected to his death pay. The house… she hadn't returned since the loss of him, but it was still home in her heart. It pains her that it's burning (not all of it, even after years left empty, they still have perfect systems and the sprinklers activated in time to keep the fires from spreading any further); though perhaps it's time to let it go, to focus on the living rather than the dead (much as a part of her might wonder if the living… if Matt, will even want her still, she's hurt him so many times, perhaps he's finally decided to give up on her… it's what terrifies her the most, though she'll never admit to it, not out-loud).

"What now?" Abby's question pulls Elektra out of her musings.

"The hedge maze." Elektra decides as she begins to lead them in the right direction. "Kirigi will have called his minions by now, and that's the best way to make sure we don't end up having to fight all of them at the same time."

They managed to keep up with Kirigi just fine, with the three of them working in tandem, but if they were to add a woman who could kill them just by the slightest touch (possibly even less than that), and a man who could summon any and all kind of creatures from pictures on his own body… that could end up being too much even if all of the Defenders were on hand.

"We need to stick together." Daredevil declares. "It's our best bet against them."

Abby agrees wholeheartedly. Much as she might insist on being there, on wanting to fight for her right to have a life, be free… that doesn't erase the fact that she's terrified.

"What are you doing here?" Elektra finally asks, right as they enter the maze.

"We weren't about to leave you alone." Abby defends their actions.

"You're a pain in my ass." Elektra drawls, though Daredevil can tell she's not quite as crossed as she'd like to pretend to be.

"Just like you." Abby replies, full of sass.

"And what about you?" The older woman asks, turning her attention to him.

"You died." He grumbles, as if that should be enough of an explanation.

"That happens sometimes." Elektra nodded, as if it were no big deal.

Matt almost stumbles at the admittance. He can still remember the pain, the moment that he prayed would stretch into forever, as she lay in his arms, as he fought to keep her with him, yet her life still slipped away, like sand between his fingers. He's hated that moment, hated himself for being unable to do anything. The idea of her having died more times, that she might just not have woken again one day… it's almost more than he can take.

She says nothing, but the brief touch to the side of his face is a reminder that she's there. She's there and he'll do anything to make sure she won't be dying again under his watch.

Of course, plans are all well and good but they don't always work out in the practice. They try to keep together, but in the end there are just too many twists and turns in the maze. Then there's also the fact that Abby is so young, not even out of her teens yet, and not used to fighting for her life, ever so slowly she begins lagging behind. Daredevil has a moment to make up his mind before choosing to slow down his own pace. After that it's less than a minute before they lose Elektra completely, which makes Abby curse, colorfully, while he just sighs.

"Why did you stay with me?" She asks him eventually, realizing it was no accident, he doesn't need to see Elektra to know where she went, he could follow her just fine. "You could have kept up with her, couldn't you? Could follow her heartbeat or something even now."

"Yes." He doesn't bother trying to lie to her, there's no point. "But you need me more right now. Elektra is… Elektra. She's already survived more than Kirigi, or any other bastard from the Hand might ever be able to throw at her."

"I wish I were that strong…" Abby murmurs very quietly.

"No, you don't." Matt almost interrupts her in his rush to cut off that idea.

"Wha…?" She isn't expecting that.

"You don't want to be like her, and she wouldn't want you to either. You've known Elektra for a very short time, and I can tell you already admire her. That's not wrong. Elektra is an amazing person and there are more than enough reasons for you to admire her. But you shouldn't want to be her, because what she's gone through in order to become who and what she is right now… neither of us would ever wish anyone, much less someone as kind and pure, and young as you that much pain, Abby."

The words leave the girl speechless. It's true she's known the older woman for a very short time, and the man even less, and she still has no idea what the connection between them is exactly, aside from the fact that they were trained by Stick, just like Abby herself. But a second later she has no more time to ponder on that as snakes are suddenly rushing at them from both directions. Then the two of them are back to back, using their weapons to vanquish the creatures as fast as they can, even if it doesn't seem to be fast enough, and that the more of those things they destroy, the more that appear to take their place.

A moment comes when Abby's sure they're about to lose, about to be completely overcome by those things, and a heartbeat later they're all gone, vanished in a flash.

"What…? What happened?" She asks, breathless, not quite sure if she can relax her stance just yet or if she should be ready for the next attack.

"Elektra must have killed Tattoo." Daredevil deduces.

The confirmation comes as Elektra begins calling their names, trying to find them.

"Elektra!" Abby calls in return. "We're here!"

Daredevil is focusing his senses, trying to decide on the best route to take to find her, when they both hear the rustle of the hedges just around the corner.

"Elektra?!" Abby calls, hopeful.

But Daredevil can pick up on the smell, it's not steel, vanilla and orchids, which is what Elektra always smells like; no, what he smells is death and decay. The masked hero is moving before he's fully aware of it, managing to slip in between Abby and the newcomer just in time… in time for the burst of dark power blown their way to hit him instead of her.

"Daredevil…? Daredevil!"

He can hear Abby, but it's as if her voice were coming from far, so far away. He wants to tell her to run, to flee, but he cannot make his mouth shape the words, he can hardly even think them anymore. All he can do is send a quick, wordless prayer to the Heavens that Elektra might reach her in time, before Typhoid Mary gets her too, and then all goes black.

**xXx**

_He remembers pain, of muscles burning with exertion and bruises blooming both, adrenaline making his already enhanced senses and reactions be all the sharper; remembers the dust falling, the smell of sewer water, the taste of blood from his busted lip, remembers the touch of a blade on his neck, a body pressed against his back and the sound of whispered words: _

"_This is what we get, isn't it? For ever thinking we could make it work." _

"_Who says we didn't? We're together. Something I've wanted since I first laid eyes on you. We can have it forever." _

_He remembers dark chuckles, a desperate attempt to continue a fight that, deep down, he doesn't want to win, he never did, yet giving up is just not in his blood either. So all he can do is fight, keep fighting until the end… and end that approaches, fast, with a beeping countdown that only he can really hear… _

_He remembers the terrible explosion, the sound of so much glass shattering, the earth instead beginning to shake… panted breathing coming from both of them as they hold on tight to all they have left: each other… _

"_I'm sorry Matthew, for all the pain that I've caused you along the way." _

"_You know, we're gonna die here." _

"_No, this is what living feels like." _

_He remembers the walls crumbling, the ground rumbling, and when they kiss… right then it's her again, his Elektra, the love of his life is in his arms and for one painfully short, bittersweet moment he believes it might all have been worth it. At least they're together in the end… _

_Only it wasn't the end… _

_He remembers awareness, feeling like he was drowning, dying… he couldn't breathe and couldn't move and couldn't die for what seemed like forever. He could hear nothing, feel nothing except the cloth keeping his body immobile, taste and smell only his own blood… Then, after an eternity living and dying over and over again, it's all over. He thinks he can hear a voice calling for him, calling his name, a low, husky, perfect voice, and a heartbeat he knows better than his own. _

Awareness comes back slowly, haltingly, almost as if he's been drugged. He's left fighting against memories of waking up in the basement of the convent, trapped in a body in so much pain and failing senses… and then he hears it, her heartbeat, and the terrible memory dissipates like so much smoke.

"Elek… tra…" He half whispers, half coughs.

His mouth and throat are incredibly dry, and he's most thankful when Elektra is instantly by his side, helping him raise his body just enough to drink half the glass of water on her other hand.

"Matthew…" She calls his name the same way she always does, like she's so much more than that single word, worlds' coalesced into those seven letters; the name pronounced in her beautiful, low, husky, perfect voice, and her heartbeat as a background…

He understands it then, the meaning of that last part of his dream, that terrible recurring nightmare. It's so clear to him in that moment he cannot believe it never occurred to him before:

"I didn't make it out alive, did I?" He whispers once she helps him settle back on the bed, sitting up against the many slightly dusty pillows.

A corner of his mind wonders if they're perhaps in her old bedroom, makes him remember the times she'd bring him in secret, the time they spent curled up together in that bed (they never had sex in that bed, her room in the penthouse apartment her dad gave her for finishing her undergrad was for having sex and their wild weekends; the bedroom in the old house was for cuddling, for talking, for finding peace in each other).

"That night, in the Midland Circle building I mean." Matt clarifies after a heartbeat.

It takes what seems like forever before the answer comes; but eventually Elektra lets out a long breath, sits on the bed beside Matt and, while holding her hands in his, finally answers:

"Neither of us did." Her voice is quiet, soft and almost… hesitant, so wrong coming from her. "Of course because of… what I am, I woke up after a while. I fought like hell to get you out, get both of us out but by then your heart had long since stopped beating."

"What did you do Elektra?" He already knows the answer, but he needs to hear it anyway.

"Used the Hand's cursed relics for something good, for a change." Elektra says, voice nervous but with an underline of steel, she doesn't regret her decision. "You cannot tell me you believe I should have left you dead Matthew!"

"If it was my time…" Matt begins.

"No!" Elektra practically snarls. "Is this more of your guilt-ridden catholic bullshit?!" Her voice is steel and she's staring straight at him as she speaks. "You know I've never bought into all that religious thing; much as you might have tried. But you cannot tell me that a god that is supposed to be all about love would rather you be dead than alive and still doing your very best to protect this world!"

He… doesn't have an answer for that. Because it is true. A part of him is thinking that if he was meant to die, they're just messing with God's Plan… but it's not like it was done for selfish reasons. What has he done with his life since that disaster but try to do the right thing? He's not always managed, that's true, he made so many mistakes, especially those first few weeks (months) after waking up in the convent; but still, he tried. And he likes to think he's managed. Fisk is back in jail, where he belongs, his wife appears to have had enough of a scare with the showdown that she's keeping out of trouble (at least for the time being), he managed to help Jessica and Trish with their own situation, and Luke when some people began getting antsy about him getting so much power and influence, 'Nelson, Murdock and Page' is flourishing and he has more friends than he's had… well, probably since forever.

"Anything I must know about… my status?" He finally asks.

"You're very hard to kill, we both are." Elektra explains. "It's how I managed to wake up even after getting enough metric tons of dirt and rocks over me to collapse my whole ribcage. It's how Nobu kept coming back, only died for good when Stick cut his head off. We're not immortal, just very, very hard to kill and capable to recover from anything short of beheading and the absolute destruction of our bodies."

Matt takes a moment to ponder on that. On the one side, it's a good thing, it means he's less likely to die; Foggy certainly would like that… well, if he knew, though Matt doesn't plan to ever tell him, as the thing Foggy wouldn't like, was finding out how exactly Matt had gained that 'gift'. They never talked about Midland Circle, the only ones who knew for sure that he hadn't planned on getting out alive were Danny, Luke and Jess, and thankfully they knew better than to tell anyone else (though all three of them, and Jess especially, had ranted at him long and heard once he got back, about his recklessness, and stupidity, and what they'd do to him if he ever did something that idiotic again… Matt actually liked it, liked that there were people that cared that much for him, even if on his darkest days he couldn't fathom why).

"Just promise me one thing," When Matt finally speaks again, the words to come out of his mouth are the last Elektra ever expected to hear: "Don't ever leave me again."

Those words… they hold more meaning than it might seem at first. He's not just asking her not to leave, he's asking her to take him with her if she has to go, and more importantly, he's letting her know that he still wants her…

"Oh Matthew…" She whispers, throwing caution to the wind and curling into his embrace. "My brave, lovely Matthew…"

She can hardly understand it, him being so willing to take the leap, to risk his heart for her, again. After all the mistakes she's made, all the times she's let him down… and yet, she cannot deny that in her deepest fantasies she always dreamed of having that chance, another chance with him, to make it right, to be the person he already believes she is, the person he deserves. It's not that she's going to change herself for him, no way. She's still Elektra Natchios, socialité, trained-ninja; she's still willing to fight and even to kill if she thinks that's the way it must be… but she no longer believes it's the only solution. Yes, some people will not stop until they're dead, like Nobu, Kirigi and most of the Hand; but for the rest of them, and the street criminals, there's prison, and sometimes just beating them up a bit and giving them a hell of a scare might be enough. She's willing to work with that.

"I promise." She says, finally, right before kissing him.

And how she's missed that mouth, missed all of him. Really, as long as it's up to her she'll never let him go again.

**xXx**

Abby pops in minutes later to find Matt sitting up in the bed with Elektra curled up against his chest. She actually does a double-take, not having expected to find her like that. Even still dressed in her battle outfit, right then Elektra looks nothing like Abby's used to seeing her, and the teenager isn't stupid, she knows it's all because of Daredevil… or rather, because of Matt (he gave her permission to use his real name, as long as she only used it when he was out of the mask, for the safety of them both).

"Uh… your friends are here." She offers after several seconds.

Elektra blinks slowly a few times. She was actually dozing off. So at peace, there, on her childhood bed with Matt beside her… even if they just had to fight for their lives, again, as long as she has Matthew she's at peace.

"I can hear them." Matt confirms. "Luke's still cursing Jessica for giving me the keys to the bike. She's egging him on, Claire's trying to keep the peace…" He listened more carefully. "Danny and Colleen are going through the house, making sure there are no ninjas laying in wait or something. It's not a bad idea."

"No, it's not." Elektra agrees, sitting up.

"So… what are we going to tell them about what just happened?" Abby asks softly.

"Well, the fight shouldn't be hard to explain." Matt shrugs. "As for what happened to me…" He turns to look at Elektra expectantly.

"Do you trust them?" She asks in turn.

"I do." Matt nods confidently.

"Then we'll tell them." She nodded.

"Danny might want to study the artifact." Matt points out.

"Fat chance." Elektra scoffs. "I destroyed it after I got you out. Before I even dropped you with those nuns. Wasn't about to risk someone else from the Hand using it."

Matt nods, it's probably better that way.

"I… we will need to handle this, you know that right?" Elektra says, completely serious. "I mean, I left the Hand alone before. Was all for the 'live and let live' philosophy. But they were the ones who wouldn't leave it alone."

"Technically this wasn't about you." Colleen points out as she and Danny finally find them.

"They made it about me when they hired me." Elektra declares.

"They hired you as an assassin." Colleen reminded her.

"If they hadn't been stupid they would have known I only kill people who deserve it." Elektra retorts, almost defensively.

"It's probably a good thing they were stupid." Danny offers with a small smile.

Good-old Danny, always trying to make everyone be friends…

"Probably." Elektra allows.

"Claire wants to know if there's any medical emergency around here." Danny says, turning to Matt, worry evident in his voice.

"Abby has some cuts and bruises." Matt tells him, then, in a more solemn tone he adds. "So do we, but we're healing."

That certainly calls the pair's attention.

"We'll talk about it once we're back at the penthouse." Danny decides, to which they all agree.

"That's not all we need to talk about." Elektra informs them as they're about to leave the room to go find the others. "I… we're going after the Hand and… it would probably be a good idea if we didn't do it alone."

There's no longer 'I' for her, it's 'we', because she's keeping her promise of not leaving Matt again; and if Matt trust the team, maybe so can she.

**xXx**

The cover is Danny's idea. Because while they could probably travel overseas for a week or two and call it a vacation, it's better when they don't have to lie as much (and it's better if someone cannot one day make the 'right' connections, like Fisk did with Matt and Daredevil). So the official story is that Danny has businesses in China and is going to add those to RE (the former of which is true, and while he hadn't planned the later, it's not a bad idea), Matt is going as his lawyer, and of course Colleen is his girlfriend (there was a time after she became the Iron Fist and he left NY when they broke up for a while but that's been solved, and they're technically both Iron Fists now, even if they channel the power differently, so that's good) so she's going too. Elektra doesn't need to give explanations, as she's been moving around the world with fake identities since her resurrection; though she has a plan to finally return, legally.

They do go to China, where Danny meets his contacts and they begin making arrangements for those businesses to become subsidiaries-of-sorts to Rand Enterprises. Then they let the businesses deal with their side of things while the two men join the women (who traveled ahead) in Japan, where all four of them fall on the remaining leaders of the Hand like a tsunami. It's not even that hard, they'd barely managed to begin recovering after losing so many of their leaders in the Midland Circle mess. In fact, the only 'finger' left is Roshi, Kirigi's father, and while he's a very skilled fighter, he's no challenge against the Black Sky, Daredevil and two Iron Fists.

They get a bit of a surprise then, as they learn that Elektra, under one of her fake identities, has just inherited everything that once belonged to the Hand. Legal and illegal ventures both. It's then that the plan finishes taking form…

A month after the fire caused by a 'gas leak' in the old Natchios Estate, NY is abuzz with the latest society event. A party celebrating the return of the only daughter of well-loved, deceased Greek Ambassador, Hugo Natchios.

Foggy lets out a breath as he pulls at his tie a bit, the things choking him! High-society parties are so not his scene, but he made the mistake of opening the invite while Marci was visiting, and of course she wouldn't take a no. She has no idea how he even got an invite, because having known Elektra Natchios back in college isn't a good enough reason. He could have told her about Matt and how well he knew her… but he'd rather see her shocked expression when the moment comes. At least that will make the penguin-suit worth it…

And the moment does come, about an hour after the official start of the party. By then Foggy and Marci have already done their rounds, shaking hands. He's taken the chance to introduce Marci to a few of his clients: like Danny and Colleen, Luke and Claire, Jessica and Trish (and Marci has begun to mutter about maybe asking him for a job, as apparently his clients are much more interesting than hers… she has no idea…). Then Elektra arrives, in a white dress, floor-length, backless and with a plunging neckline, a red-orchid comb keeping her hair half up, half down; she's on Matt's arm (or he's on hers, whichever), who's dressed in a black on black tuxedo with a white tie, red glasses covering his unseeing eyes.

"What the…?!" As expected Marci begins sputtering the moment she lays eyes on him.

Matt notices them right away of course (probably his heartbeat, or his cologne, Foggy can never be sure), and he and Elektra head straight to them after shaking a few hands.

"Hey Foggy, you remember Elektra." Matt is smiling so much… Foggy can hardly believe it.

He knew Elektra was involved, of course he did, Matt did tell him that much before leaving for China. And he knew that she was coming back even before the story broke about how Elektra Natchios wasn't really dead, but had been living in Japan until the people responsible for her father's death were gone (that was the official version they were going with). Still, it was until that moment, seeing the happiness in his best-friend's expression, that he realized just how much he really loved Elektra, and how badly-off he'd been since her death. Foggy was just glad that Elektra seemed to be planning on staying this time.

"This is Foggy's girlfriend, Marci Stahl." Matt continued the introductions.

"I'm a lawyer too, with Chao and Benowitz." Marci offered her hand to shake. "In case you're ever in need of a lawyer Miss Natchios."

"Elektra please." The woman actually smiled at Marci. "And thank you, but I already have a lawyer." She placed her hand over Matt's. "My fiancé will be handling all my needs…"

No one could have possibly missed her emphasis on 'all', the double entendré in her words (Matt even blushed, just a bit, high on his cheeks), or the ring on her finger…

"Oh… congratulations!" Marci said automatically.

"Yes of course, congratulations man." Foggy said immediately, embracing Matt tight, whispering in his ear: "I'm so happy for you…"

"Thanks Fogg… it means the world to me that you're here." Matt whispered back.

"I'll always be here pal, I'll always be your best friend." Foggy assured him before pulling back.

Matt said nothing else, he just smiled.

The pair went looking for Karen afterwards. They'd promised her the story of their relationship (or at least the public version of it). Most of the world would never understand why rich heiress and Businesswoman Elektra Natchios would ever choose to be with a poor, blind lawyer like Matt Murdock; but the ones who cared for them, their family and friends, they knew and understood and that was all that really mattered.

**xXx**

At the end of the night, Matt and Elektra find themselves in his apartment (hers has long since been rented out), in nothing but underclothes. Elektra shrugged off the beautiful white dress the moment they were in the privacy of his… their home, walking half naked to stand beside the bedroom window, watching the night in silence.

"What's wrong?" Matt asks her softly, embracing her from behind.

He's undressed too, leaving him standing there in just his black-silk boxer-briefs, even the glasses are gone (she likes that, likes looking at his whole face, even when his eyes remain empty, the emotion shows in the creases around them, in his whole face).

"I'm not sure how I'm going to do this." She admits, laying back against him. "I'm not leaving you, I promised that, and it's a promise I'm keeping but… Matt, I haven't the first idea how to have a normal life. I haven't had one in so long… not since college and even back then. Even back then there was always Stick, calling or writing or even dropping by every so often, giving me orders… My life hasn't been fully mine ever and I have no idea how to live how to be just Elektra Natchios…" She let out a breath. "And then there's the Black Sky, I don't know if I even want to be that anymore…"

"Sh… shshsh…." He tightens his hold on her, pressing kisses to her hair, her neck, before burying his face there, pressing his nose to her pulse point. "You can do whatever you want to do, be whoever you want to be. The Black Sky… it's just a name, you choose what meaning to give to it. The Hand and the Chaste are both gone now, they cannot use that name against you anymore, it's all up to you now." He made a pause. "The city calls me Devil, but that doesn't mean I'm evil. I own to the name, I'm Daredevil, and I fight to protect those who need protecting. Those whom the law might not always reach in time."

"I think I'd like that do that." Elektra murmurs. "Matthew you… you taught me what it's like to be good. Taught me I could be good at all… and I want that. And also…"

"Also…?"

"Yours. I want to be yours."

"I would love that, more than anything else in the world."

Truth is that the ring she was wearing during the party was an heirloom. It was the ring Hugo Natchios had used to propose to Christina Spiros. She found it in the hidden safe in his dad's office at home, along with a letter explaining how back when they were in college he'd been waiting for Matt to eventually go to him, ask for her hand, and then he'd have given the boy the ring. Even if his colleagues never understood why his daughter dated a poor, blind law student, all Hugo knew and cared about was the fact that he made his daughter happy (and she was his daughter, regardless of how she might have come to join his family, she was his daughter and that was all that mattered in the end). But that never happened, Matt never came, and then they broke up. It make Elektra curse herself, and curse Stick for ruining what she and Matthew had back in college and yet… she wasn't ready, back then, to be the kind of person Matt wished for her to be, that he always knew she could be. So perhaps things did happen as they did for a reason. So she took the ring and put it on, deciding to wait until the right time to tell Matt about it and about the letter. And right then seemed to be that time.

Matt listened to her in silence, smiling softly at the story, at the knowledge that he ha Hugo's blessing, had had it all along.

"So I guess that means we're getting married." Matt murmured with a playful smirk.

"Is that what you want?" Elektra asks, turning in his arms to face her.

"Nothing would make me happier, than for you to agree to be my wife." He assures her.

For all answer she takes off the ring and hands it to him:

"Elektra…" He whispers, stepping back and playing with the ring a bit. "I've loved for many years, in many different ways. As a young man in college, tasting the wild side; as a man and a lawyer, searching for completeness; as a warrior, having found the one who would always have my back. There were times when I tried to change you and times when I was willing to change myself. I've loved you in the wrong ways and the right ones and I wish for nothing more than to be able to love you every day for the rest of my life." He drops on one knee, holding the ring out. "Will you do me the incredible honor of agreeing to be my wife?"

There's no answer for the longest time, and Matt actually worries when he smells the tears, but then, before hie mind can go down any dark paths she's on her knees and holding tight to him. Her whispers of 'yes, yes, yes' barely any louder than the beating of both their hearts.

They would be together, always, Matt and Elektra, the Devil and his Sky…

* * *

So... anyone still around? I hope at least some people like this, I did enjoy writing it, a lot.

Regarding the plot of the 05 movie and the ways it changed. The original movie has the Hand going after a girl they call the 'Treasure' and who supposedly will tip the balance in the war between the Hand and the Chaste. Stick hires Elektra to kill her in the hopes that Elektra will instead choose to help, which works out. Now, because in this verse Stick and the Chaste are all gone, I chose instead to have the Hand hire Elektra; though she only really takes jobs where she goes after evil people (her way to try and reconcile Matt's ideals with her own bloodthirsty tendencies). So she does end up helping Abby and her father. The Defenders come to their aid where the Chaste do in the movie and there's still the showdown in the estate, though with Daredevil getting involved too. Things progress from there.

For those who've read the fic. The thing I did with Matthew and the explanation of what happened in between the fall of the Midland Circle and his waking up with those nuns... it was never explained (to my satisfaction) how he survived exactly. And Elektra's fate is still up for debate. I've seen others handle that idea that he died and was revived, either due to the bones all around them, or because Elektra did exactly what he does here, and the latter fit better with what I wanted to do (especially because, since I was taking out the idea that anyone could revive people, there needed to be another way to handle Typhoid Mary's attack). I realize that with the things that were changed for the movie and for the series some things might not be meant to fit in completely but I'm claiming creative license on that one. I haven't read the comics for any of this characters so... yeah.

I contemplated several different titles for this fic as I planned and wrote it but in the end 'Red Sky' didn't seem right, and 'The Devil and his Sky' was too much of a mouthful, so I went with this one in the end.

Regarding the other Defenders... I haven't actually watched those shows, all I know comes from fanfics and a lot of wikipedia articles. Though I only mention things in the vaguest of details. The thing with there being two Iron Fists... it seemed right to me, for them to sort-of share the power in the end, each channeling it in their own way. And I like them as a couple. I liked to imagine Danny eventually finding his purpose and returning to her, and her taking him back (though of course he'd have to work for it first). And on the Jessica Jones front... again, haven't watched, only read, but I cannot help but feel that things could have been solved. Matt, with his morals, but specially with how close he came to killing Fisk, more than once, I feel like he'd be the perfect person to confront Trish on her own dark impulses and pull her back before it's too late. No idea how he'd have done it exactly, and I've no doubt that Trish would have tore him down bad before the end, but still, it would have been worth it (Jessica probably would have hated Matt interfering in her business at first, before eventually being thankful when it works out). Luke Cage... aside from him still being a good guy regardless of some people having doubts after the end of his own mess I don't thing anything would change there.

Hugo Natchios does come from the comics, all I know of him (which wasn't that much, really) I learned from his wikipedia page).

And that's that... I think. Any further doubt ask me and I'll be delighted to answer.

I've been considering writing a fic where Matt isn't the only orphan trained by Stick (and abandoned by him eventually) it would be either Skye/Daisy or an OC, and I'd love to read your thoughts on it. Right now it's a very vague idea and I've no idea where it might even go, but still, I always love reading people's comments. And of course I'd love to read any comments you have about the fic itself.

Hope you enjoyed this fic and see you around!


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